HINGHAM — An FBI employee faces charges after allegedly pointing a handgun at a woman’s head in a Hingham bar.
James Doyle, of Duxbury, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm while intoxicated and disorderly conduct. He was released on personal recognizance.
Officers responded to the bar Tuesday night after a patron called police. Officers say they found Doyle at the bar with the properly licensed handgun in a holster at his waist. The woman wasn’t injured. Police say she and Doyle knew each other.
Harold Shaw, head of the FBI in Boston, says his office is cooperating with police and the district attorney. An internal investigation is also underway.
BOSTON — State officials say the Massachusetts unemployment rate fell to 4.5 percent in February when an estimated 13,300 jobs were added.
The last time the state’s jobless rate stood as low as 4.5 percent was nearly 15 years ago in November 2001, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The state Office of Labor and Workforce Development also said Thursday that revised estimates from the bureau show the state added 1,200 jobs in January. The previous estimate had shown a loss of 2,500 jobs that month. The February rate was down two-tenths of a point from the 4.7 percent rate in January.
The overall U.S. jobless rate in February stood at 4.9 percent.
BOSTON — In an informal session that was busier than Wednesday’s formal gathering that drew a much larger crowd, the Massachusetts House on Thursday advanced a slew of bills before recessing with plans to return later in the day.
Among the 40 bills that received initial approval Thursday morning were H 159 to protect businesses from unwanted telemarketing; H 208 unsolicited credit cards, checks, and vouchers by mail; H 282 relative to the wholesale of malt beverages produced by a pub brewery; H 542 relative to contribution limits for candidate running for office in a special election; H 734 relative to shellfish reefs and water quality, and H 912 relative to certain loans by the Federal Home Loan Bank. The House also gave initial approval to H 1245 relative to parent-child privilege; H 1830 relative to municipal use of insurance proceeds; H 1852 relative to streamlining municipal finance; H 1861 relative to handicap automobile licenses or placards; H 2084 relative to elevator inspections, and H 3130 relative to the appointment of veterans’ agents.
The bills were advanced with less than a handful of representatives present. By contrast, the full 160-member House met on Wednesday with a lengthy calendar loaded with dozens of bills but representatives made no effort to debate or advance the bills on their formal agenda.